While there might be a hundred reasons why you might get a new boss at work (and let’s face it: a lot of ‘em are born out of messy situations), there are really only a couple of places your new boss can come from. Either management promotes a current employee from within — often someone you know well and have worked with before. Or, they hire someone from outside the organization whom you don’t know. I’ve written an earlier article about how to adjust to a boss who used to be your co-worker, and for this blog, we’ll discuss the totally new person.
Even under the best of circumstances, learning to work with a new boss carries some challenges, and maybe even a bit of stress. Many people experience varying degrees of difficulty accepting authority from any source, much less someone you have no previous experience with or loyalty to. And occasionally, just to add insult to injury, this person got the job you wanted, but didn’t get.
However, if you find yourself feeling jealous, apprehensive, nervous, or just plain uncomfortable, for the health of your career, you’ll want to find a quick fix for your emotions, no matter what they are. Stay calm, collected, and follow these tips to successfully handle the new sheriff in town.
- Don’t be a sycophant
New word for you? A sycophant is a person who fawns all over someone important in order to gain favor or advantage. (Even if you don’t know the word, I’m sure you know the type!) Within the first day of your new boss’s arrival, people will flood into his or her office. Resist the temptation to join the masses. (Here’s a tip: Virtually everyone smart enough to become a boss can see a sycophant a mile away. Don’t be that person.) Stay on the sidelines while the gratuitous adoration and eye-batting subside. Then, take a few minutes to professionally introduce yourself, welcoming the boss with a brief, pleasant conversation, and reminding him or her of what you do in the department.
Always ask if there is anything you can do to help your new boss transition faster. If they request something, do it. If not, assure your boss you are there for them at any time and to please ask for anything. Sometimes, the smallest gesture — like letting them know where the closest coffee machine is — can be just the thing they needed in order to feel more comfortable and settled in.
- Relax during those first meetings
Your boss will most likely have a group introductory meeting with the department on the first day. Additionally, every good boss will schedule a one-on-one meeting with each staff member (you included) to lay out goals and expectations — for both the individual and the department.
In both the group and the one-on-one meetings, be candid, but not negative; be honest, but not contrary. Remember that even though you may have been with the company longer, this isn’t the time to register complaints or act like a know-it-all. You’re now wedded to your boss’s vision, for better or worse, and it’s important to make sure you’re on the same page. Besides, there’s a better, less hectic time to share your “room for improvement” observations about the department, or to offer advice, so limit this period to accommodating your boss and getting to know them.
- Always offer a helping hand
Transitioning to a new position and a new team is tough for anyone. In the first few weeks, work will flood your boss’s time, so let them know that you’d like to help smooth out the rough spots by tackling any burdensome projects. Warning: You may be handed some menial, mind-numbing tasks, but this is a long-term investment you’re making in the positive relationship you intend to forge with your boss. Building up trust with your boss and delivering on-time, on-target work (no matter how humdrum the task is) will eventually lead to your boss trusting you with bigger and better projects.
- Give yourself a career makeover
A fresh start with a new boss often leads to the opportunity for you to get a do-over. Even though your boss has probably studied your employee file, savvy bosses tend to give their employees a clean slate to work from. Any screw-ups you’ve made in the past will most likely remain there if you don’t repeat them. Now’s the time to review your strengths and weaknesses and make a list of things you’d like to improve.
And don’t just work on weaknesses, even though it might seem like a logical approach. Rather than, let’s say building your current Microsoft Excel non-skill to a meh-skill, I suggest working on your strengths. For starters, it’ll be more fun and won’t seem like drudgery. (Fun is an important motivator!) Second of all, you’re better off developing your strengths into even more powerful assets, because of an important behavioral fact: when you build upon your list of strengths, your weaknesses naturally tend to fall into the background. This is the way to get favorably noticed by your new boss, as well as better known throughout your company.
In summary, it’s important to embrace your new boss, leaving your resentments, fears, and anxieties in the desk drawer — at least as much as you possibly can. How you handle the first few days of your new boss’s tenure will definitely affect (and possibly define for all time) your relationship with one another. Because, after all, your new boss just might become your greatest mentor, biggest fan, supportive advocate for a promotion—and maybe even your new friend!